The present invention relates to a laser transmitting system for use with a laser device for medical or dental procedures, for example, and a hand instrument for use with such laser device.
Laser has been used not only in various industrial devices but also in many medical and dental devices. Generally, each of medical and dental devices using laser includes a laser generator for generating laser, an instrument (e.g., hand instrument) for guiding and then emitting laser toward a desired surgical site, and a laser transmitting system,connecting between the laser generator and the instrument for transmitting laser from the laser generator to the instrument.
Mechanicallly, the laser transmitting system can be classified into two transmitting stations; a first transmitting station for guiding laser from the laser generator to the instrument and a second transmitting station for guiding laser in the instrument toward the surgical site. In particular, a variety of improvements have been proposed so far for the second transmitting station.
In the meantime, the second transmitting station may be brought into contact with the surgical site and thereby contaminated or damaged. Accordingly, the second transmitting station is considered to be a consumable article and, in fact, is structured so that it is exchangeable in many such laser devices. The exchangeability of the second transmitting station is also desired from its various purposes.
In such laser devices having first and second separate transmitting stations, when laser is being transmitted from the first to the second transmitting station, it impinges in part against a part of inlet edge of the second transmitting station, thereby heating and then deteriorating such part. Disadvantageously, this will shorten a durability of the second station considerably. To make the matter worse, foreign substances such as dust possibly adhered to the inlet edge of the second transmitting station will accelerate its heating.
To prevent this, in many devices using laser, a tube is provided for the first transmitting station so that air can be provided on the inlet for cooling. Indeed, this is advantageous to prevent the inlet from being overheated too much. However, this requires an additional air supply tube to be used only for cooling along the first transmitting station, which makes the whole transmitting system complicate in structure.
Accordingly, a laser transmitting system, laser device, and hand instrument for use in such laser device includes a first laser transmitting passage, made from an optical hollow waveguide, including therein an interior opened at first and second ends of the first laser transmitting passage. The device further includes a second laser transmitting passage having a first end and a second end. The first end of the second laser transmitting passage is spaced away but optically connected with the second end of the first laser transmitting passage. This allows that laser transmitted through the first laser transmitting passage is guided into the second laser transmitting passage, and air is transmitted through the first laser transmitting passage to impinge on the first end of the second laser transmitting passage.
With the laser transmitting system of the present invention, since the air is transported through the first laser transmitting passage or tube, no additional passage is needed only for transporting. This simplifies the mechanical structure of a laser device or hand instrument.
In another aspect of the present invention, the laser transmitting system includes an optical member positioned between the second end of the first laser transmitting passage and the first end of the second laser transmitting passage for guiding the laser transmitted from the second end of the first laser transmitting passage into the first end of the second laser transmitting passage. Further, the device has an air passage defining a first chamber enclosing therein the second end of the first laser transmitting passage, a second chamber enclosing therein the first end of the laser transmitting passage, and a passageway fluidly connecting between the first and second chambers so that the air discharged from the second end of the laser transmitting passage is guided through the first chamber, the passageway, and the second chamber to the first end of the laser transmitting passage.
This allows that laser from the first laser transmitting passage is effectively guided to the first end of the second laser transmitting passage. Also, the first end of the second laser transmitting passage, which is heated by laser, is cooled down effectively by the air transported through the first laser transmitting passage.
In another aspect of the present invention, the laser transmitting system includes an air passage having first and second ends. The first end of the air passage is positioned adjacent the first end of the second laser transmitting passage and the second end of the air passage is positioned adjacent the second end of the second laser transmitting passage. This allows that the air impinged on the first end of the laser transmitting passage is guided into the air passage and then discharged to the second end of the second laser transmitting passage.
A hand instrument and laser device includes a cylindrical casing in which the laser transmitting system is included. Also, the air passage is in part defined between the cylindrical casing and the first laser transmitting passage. This arrangement can reduce the number of tubes that should be incorporated in the hand instrument. The hand instrument may include another air passage extending along the first and second laser transmitting passage and toward the second end of the second laser transmitting passage. This allows the air to be discharged toward the second end of the second laser transmitting passage.